Jones Memorial Library

Jones Memorial Library, the second oldest public library in Virginia, opened in June 1908. The Library had been the dream of George Morgan Jones, philanthropist and industrialist of Lynchburg, but the dream was never realized in his lifetime. As a memorial to her husband, Mary Frances Watts Jones financed the construction and equipping of the library. During the latter years of her life, she was actively involved in the day-to-day operation of the Library. In her will, Mrs. Jones provided for the continued support of the Library through the establishment of an endowment. To this day, the Library receives no public monies and its operating budget is funded primarily from this endowment.

The Lynchburg Public Library, a tax-supported institution, opened in 1966. Realizing that it could not compete in the area of collection development, Jones Memorial Library concentrated its collection efforts in its genealogical and historical holdings. As a result, the Library's collection in this area of research is one of the largest in the state.

In order to preserve its valuable collection, the Library was moved in July 1987 to its current location. The new facility offers modern temperature and humidity controls for the protection of the collection, as well as comfortable research facilities and adequate parking facilities for patrons of the Library.

Jones Memorial Library specializes in genealogy and local history. Although its primary focus is on the central Virginia area, the collection includes a wide variety of materials covering the State of Virginia as well as the surrounding states, including county histories and court records, family histories and genealogies, general works on the Civil War, county land tax and personal property tax records, and census records.

Materials of local interest include microfilmed copies of the Lynchburg newspapers, microfilmed copies of funeral home burial files, architectural archives, city directories, indexes of marriage and death notices, and microfilmed church records.

The Library also houses over 300 manuscript collections, including personal family papers and correspondence, records of clubs and organizations, and business records.